


Accounting and Bookkeeping

by celli



Category: Smallville
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-09-14
Updated: 2003-09-14
Packaged: 2017-10-07 04:43:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celli/pseuds/celli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What you're learning there, that's not accounting."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accounting and Bookkeeping

**Author's Note:**

> [serrico](http://www.livejournal.com/users/serrico/) gets credit for the wonderful summarization of Milton. *g*

"I hate accounting," Clark said.

"No, you don't." The voice came from somewhere to his side, where Lex was sprawled on Clark's bed, paging idly through a well-worn copy of _Paradise Lost._

"No, really, I do."

"No, really, you don't."

Clark threw his pencil down and swiveled in his chair. "Fine. Why don't you tell me why I don't hate accounting. And after that, maybe you can explain the attraction of Milton."

"This is the good part." Lex marked his place and set the book aside. He had a tendency to use whatever was at hand to mark his place, which Clark had learned when a Michael Crichton novel had been returned with a fifty dollar bill left abandoned in chapter five. Lex hadn't approved of the science in the book. "This is basically the part where Satan tells God to bite him."

"Really?" Clark blinked a couple of times, then dragged his attention back to the real argument. "Accounting is boring and nitpicky and has a billion and six rules."

"What you're learning there, that's not accounting."

"Funny, 'cause my textbook says--"

"That's bookkeeping. And yes, bookkeeping is boring and anal and has rules that make rugby look simple."

"Is rugby really that--"

"Clark."

"Sorry."

"My point is, once you've mastered the rules you can move on to the more interesting aspects of accounting."

"It gets more interesting?"

"Oh yeah." Lex leaned back and picked up the book again. "Wait until you get to income taxes."

Clark stared at him. "I think my life just flashed before my eyes."

Lex ignored him grandly.


End file.
